Can Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?

Group 1 - Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) shows a significantly improving earnings outlook, making it a solid choice for investors [1][11] - Analysts are raising earnings estimates for CTBI, reflecting growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is expected to positively impact its stock price [2][3] - The Zacks Rank system indicates strong agreement among analysts in raising earnings estimates, leading to a considerable increase in consensus estimates for the next quarter and full year [3][10] Group 2 - The current-quarter earnings estimate for CTBI is projected at $1.39 per share, representing a year-over-year increase of 13.0% [7] - Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CTBI has risen by 7.36%, with two estimates moving higher and no negative revisions [7][9] - For the full year, the earnings estimate stands at $5.35 per share, reflecting a 16.1% increase from the previous year [8] Group 3 - The favorable estimate revisions have earned CTBI a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating strong potential for outperformance compared to the S&P 500 [10] - Stocks with Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) and 2 (Buy) have historically shown significant outperformance, with Zacks 1 stocks averaging a 25% annual return since 2008 [3][10] - CTBI's stock has gained 9.9% over the past four weeks, driven by solid estimate revisions and positive earnings growth prospects [11]